Our Brothers and Sisters

We were nine brothers and
sisters, of which only three survive. The profane hand did not touch us, for
we made aliya to the Land prior to the outbreak of the war.

Our eldest sister Bayla was
good hearted and righteous. Her husband was Reb Yitzchak Bretler, an
intelligent and handsome man. He was the son of the Hassid Rabbi Rafael
Bretler. They had two darling children, Yenta and Tzvi. The destruction
reached them as well. We will never forget their words of farewell and their
efforts on our behalf when we made aliya to the Land.

From right: Reb Yitzchak Bretler, his wife Bayla
and father Reb Rafael Bretler of Dolina.
Bayla was the daughter of Reb Yeshayahu Juner

The rest of our siblings 
their good name preceded them, both regarding the honor of parents as well as
their love of their fellowman  were cut off at a young age.

Chava the beautiful, Rivka the
intelligent, Baruch the charming, Batya the philosopher, and Yaakov, the
youngest.

Uncles and Aunts

Aunt Rivka was the eldest
sister of our father. She was a noble and refined woman. Her husband was Reb
Tzvi Ettinger of Kolomea. He was an ordained rabbi, and toiled in Torah day
and night. They had three sons: Nota, Moshe and Zelig.

Aunt Tzippy was the second
sister of our father. She was a woman of valor. Her husband was Reb Yehuda
Tzvi Rotenberg, the son of the rabbi of Skula. He was a very intelligent,
learned scholar. He served as an adjucator of various disputes on a voluntary
basis. They had three children, refined and very bright: Rivka, Yosef, and
Tova. They all wished to make aliya to the Land of Israel, but they did not
merit to fulfill their desire.

Yenta and Tzvi Bretler,
the grandchildren of Reb Yeshayahu
and Sara Itta Juner

Aunt Rachel was the third
sister of our father. She was a refined woman. Her husband was Reb Eizik
Kertenstein of Stanislawow. They had two children, Yonah and Tzvi.

Aunt Tzila was the fourth
sister of our father. Her husband was Reb Mendel Finter of the Rokach family
of Borislaw, who were related to the Belzer Rebbe. He was a well known cantor,
and during the last period served as the cantor in the city of Rotterdam,
Holland. They were killed in sanctification of G-d's name with their four
children.

It is difficult to make peace
with the fact that only so very few remain from such a splendid and illustrious
family. We, the children who survived in Israel due to the grace of G-d try to
bring forth the memories of the past with honor, to learn from our forbears,
and to teach our children to follow in their path.

May the souls of all of the
holy martyrs be bound in the bonds of life.

Translator's Footnotes

There is no indication in the text as when the previous section by A. Brandwein
ends, and when this section by the Juner family starts. The author name of the
Brandwein section is listed at the beginning, and the three authors of the
Juner section are listed at the end. It would seem that the Juner section
begins on page 225, with the discussion of the Juner grandfather.
Back

The local police also knew
about this situation. When someone would come to the police at night
requesting a place to sleep, they would send him to Berelfein. There, without
a doubt, they would find a place for him.

I can see him, my grandfather,
waking up in the middle of the night during the difficult days of winter when
there was a knock on the door, a voice asking for help, a person who could not
find a place to warm his bones, and was freezing outside My grandfather
went out, despite the cold outside, to the person who was wasting away from
hunger and cold, make for him a bed, and give him some hot food to restore his
spirit.

I have attempted with my poor
words to describe his greatness, however the words do not have the power to
describe what all of us, his grandchildren and his entire world, knew.

There is no doubt that it is
only in the merit of Tzadikim (righteous people) such as he that the world
exists, and may his soul be comforted by that.

{233}

In Memory of the Martyrs of Perehinsko

Here are a few words from the
sole survivor of the family of Reb Shalom and Freida Rachel Rosenbaum, may G-d
avenge their deaths.

Perehinsko is a small town at
the foothills of the Carpathians in the area of Rozniatow. It's Jewish
community was not large, approximately 150 families, most of whom were murdered
by the wild Nazi beast.

The Jewish community consisted
of people of all strata: rabbis, merchants, artisans, intelligentsia, and
ordinary Jews.

The youth were exemplary. The
youth had a pioneering spirit. The youth worked and studied. Most of them
participated in Hachsharah (preparations) for aliya to the Land. Some of them
even succeeded in making aliya and escaping the Holocaust.

These are the martyrs of
Perehinsko, whose entire lives were dedicated to G-d.

For example, there was the
rabbi and Gaon Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Babad of holy
blessed memory, who served as the rabbi of Perehinsko until the destruction
came. He was a modest and quiet Jew, happy with his lot, G-d fearing, and
content. Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Babad was a great Torah scholar, and was also
blessed with sublime character traits. He dedicated himself to the properness
and purity of the town. He did not concern himself at all with himself and his
family. He was an exemplary spiritual leader.

Who does not remember the
prominent family of Reb Yitzchak Juner of holy blessed memory. This family
included his son Reb Yeshayahu, his son-in-law Rabbi Tzvi Ettinger of holy
blessed memory, his son-in-law Reb Yehuda Tzvi Rotenberg, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. This family had Torah and greatness in one package. They
were upright merchants, and first class observers of Torah. They were fitting
prayer leaders, and charitable people.

Caring for guests and tending
to poor brides were their lot.

Whoever came in hungry to the
home of Reb Yitzchak Juner of holy blessed memory left satiated. Whoever came
in downtrodden left happy. One could find a solution to every problem with his
advice.

In his old age, when Reb
Yitzchak Juner built a house, he also built a private synagogue. At the time
of the dedication of the Torah scroll his synagogue, it was said that: whoever
did not participate in this joyous event had never witnessed joy in his life.
2

My father Reb Shalom the son of
Reb Shimshon Rosenbaum of holy blessed memory was a scholar and an observer of
the commandments who lived all of his days in holiness and purity. He would
get up in the middle of the night for the Tikkun Chatzot service
4. My mother Freida Rachel the daughter of Reb Shmuel Lustig was a paragon of
courtesy and uprightness. She was a woman of valor who concerned herself at
all times and in all conditions to the giving of a good education to her
children. Her whole desire was to inculcate faith and belief in G-d in her
children. She taught us to not despair during the worst moments, to go with
full faith to meet all life events, and to accept everything with love.

To the end of my days, I will
never forget the final moment when I separated from my mother and the entire
family. This was on the first intermediate day of Sukkot in the year 5700 /
1940. I left the home and the town in which I was born and grew up. I was
taken to serve in the Red Army at the Japanese border.

The parting was very difficult.
The weeping of my father, my brothers and sisters and all around was
heartbreaking. I was the first young Jew to leave the town. Only my
intelligent mother parted from me with a kiss and a blessing of peace, without
shedding a tear, in order not to cause me agony. In the merit of the faith
that she instilled in me, I was able to traverse all of the setbacks that came
my way from the day I left my home until today. I was the only survivor of the
large and illustrious family of Reb Shalom and Freida Rachel Rosenbaum, who
ascended on High along with their sons, daughters and grandchildren during the
time of the Holocaust.

May their memory be blessed
forever.

{234}

Another Example of a Wonderful Jew

My uncle Reb David the son of
Reb Shmuel Leib Rosenbaum
5
of holy blessed memory, the ritual slaughterer of Perehinsko, was a complete
Tzadik, who never hurt his fellow. He came to live with us after his house
burnt down. I was then about ten years old, and my uncle invited me to sleep
with him. I was very happy. At midnight, my uncle would arise to recite the
Tikkun Chatzot service. I awoke in bed and paid attention to him. He came
over, caressed my head and said: Sleep, my child, and then he sat
down to immerse himself in the service of the Creator until daybreak.

Every Jew of Perehinsko was a
world unto himself, and I am not able to put all of their merits onto paper,
for they are many.

It was possible to find a place
to sleep in every home, and even more so, some food and drink.

Institutions of Perehinsko

The following were the
synagogues: The old synagogue (The old Beis Midrash), the new one (the new
Beis Midrash), the kloiz, the private synagogue of Reb Yitzchak Juner, and
other private minyanim.

There was a special house for
guests next to the kloiz. There was a Talmud Torah. The most senior of the
teachers was Reb Feivel Friedman. We studied with him, beginning from the
aleph beit. I remember the happiest Sabbath in my life when I was five years
old, and I began to study Chumash. On the Sabbath, they arranged a lovely
celebration, and the teacher came to examine me, with the wondrous set of
questions: What are you learning, my child?
6. The entire family was happy that I knew how to answer well all of the
questions of Reb Feivel Friedman. Then, I went to learn with Reb Yosef Zisser,
and later, at the age of nine, with Reb Moshe Walder of Tarnopol. We studied
Rashi's commentary and Talmud with him.

In Perehinsko, there was also a
government school in the center of the city, where we studied from noon. In
the afternoon until the evening hours we learned again in cheder. The school
day was very full. In the winter, we would return from cheder with a lantern
a product of Perehinsko, made of cardboard. Inside the lantern was
a potato with a hole, and in it, there was a candle to light the way.

There was a wonderful
institution in Perehinsko. It was called The House of Jewish
Culture, where all of the Zionist factions were housed. On occasion, we
would organize performances there, whose proceeds were dedicated to the
assistance of the needy. Speakers from various factions would often come to
Perehinsko. They would say their words in the house of culture. Aside from
this, the culture house served as a center for evenings of entertainment.

The Days of the Week in Perehinsko

Sunday! Life returned to its
normal daily routine, however the merchants did not open their stores, for on
the other side, the church bells rang, for it was the holy day of rest of the
Christians.

Almost no movement was
perceived in the town until the afternoon hours. Trade was forbidden. Only in
the afternoon did people make discreet
7
purchases despite the watchful eyes of the police.

Monday was the market day. The
town was bustling with life from the early hours of the morning. The stores
were wide open, and wagons with all types of merchandise streamed in from the
area. Buyers and sellers bargained and debated the quality of the merchandise
and the price. People went from one stall to the next. Despite the hustle and
bustle, no man of Perehinsko forgot to go the synagogue morning and evening.

Tuesday was a relatively quiet
day. It was peaceful after the tumult of the
previous day. It was an ordinary and routine day.

Wednesday was a day of
preparation for the market day that was to take place
the next day. It was the day that the poor came from afar in order to seek out
donations, or to remain in Perehinsko for the Sabbath.

Thursday was very similar in
its essence to Monday, since it was a market day.
It was even noisier due to the advent of the Sabbath.

Here, the housewife played an
honorable role, for she was toiling and working
to prepare the traditional Sabbath delicacies.

Friday: the movement was
restricted to local purchases, and the interior of
the house. The housewife attempted to speedily complete her daily work and her
preparations for the Sabbath. The house was cleaned, and the aroma of fish,
hot dishes and baked goods intermingled with each other and filled the air.
The children were already wearing their festive clothing. When the sun went
down and the candles were lit, the men and children went to the synagogue to
welcome the Sabbath with the Lecha Dodi prayer. At the conclusion
of the service, everyone would return to his home and family to recite the
Kiddush over wine and to sing the hymns at the meal with an exalted spirit of a
sublime soul that rises above the difficulties of the day. The Sabbath hymns
that were heard from every home merged together into one ancient chorus. An
atmosphere of rest descended upon the town, the atmosphere of the Sabbath
Queen. This is the Perehinsko of the days of the week, the Perehinsko that was
known to everyone, with its simplicity and its upright people who walked with
pleasantness.

Many days have passed since
then, however the taste of that existence will
never melt away. It is alive and existing in the hearts of all of those who
remember it, and thus shall it remain forever.

Certainly, much more than what
can be read in this book should have been
written about the lives of the giants of spirit and deed. However, who am I to
be able to actualize the debt to the martyrs of Perehinsko?!

May their merit stand for us
and all of Israel. Amen

From right: Reb Yeshaya Juner
and his father Reb Yitzchak,
with the Admor of Bolekhov
and his gabbai (assistant)

We will remember our communities: Rozniatow, Perehinsko, Broszniow, and
Swaryczow that were destroyed and wiped out; their children who were murdered;
who were brought to slaughter in the wagons of death; whose honor was violated
and whose blood was spilled by impure hands  in sanctification of the
Divine Name.

We will remember the children, pure ones the son of pure ones, who were stolen
from the bosom of their parents, who were broken and murdered by strange
deaths; children and infants who were shattered on stone walls and cut off
from life with the hatred of cruel hands  in sanctification of the Divine
name.

Translator's Footnotes

A minyan is a quorum of ten adult males needed to conduct a prayer service.
Back

This is a mishnaic quote, referring to the joy of the water drawing ceremony on
the Festival of Sukkot in the Temple.
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A Talmudic quote referring to a person who possesses both great Torah
scholarship and material means.
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A private midnight service that consists of lamentations over the destruction
of the Temple. It is not obligatory, and only recited by particularly pious
people. It is very rarely observed today.
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If this uncle is his father's brother, there is a confusion of names between
the name of the uncle's father and the father's father (in the previous
section) which should be equivalent. Alternatively, perhaps his mother had the
same surname as his father (i.e. cousins married  a common occurrence in
that era), or the uncle was really some other relative.
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A traditional, canned, set of questions and answers recited at the occasion of
a child beginning to learn Chumash (the books of the Torah).
Back

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